July 01, 2009

No more street music

Starting today musicians need a permit to play on the street here in Gotheburg. A quite controversial rule which has made many professional musicians very upset.
"It doesn’t seem to fit with Gothenburg’s reputation as an entertainment and tourist city. Music is important for life on the streets," said saxophonist Martin Nurmi to the Göteborgs-Posten (GP) newspaper.

The new law, which is designed to place limits on the times and places where street musicians can play, will require performers to seek permits from police to play in central Gothenburg during business hours.

The new requirements were drawn up in response to complaints from employees at shops and restaurants near where street musicians have a habit of playing.
I'm not really sure what to think about this. I do understand the employees at shops because some of the musicians playing at the same place everyday are terribly and it would drive me mad as well. Also I know that in both Paris and London you have to get permit to play which really raise the quality of the musicians and music. But then on the other hand the liberal in me doesn't like laws and regulations. We'll see what happens as time goes by.

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